Reconciliation
by evieeden
Summary: When Leah gets the shock of her life, she needs someone to turn to. Advent story written for 16th December.


**Happy 16****th**** December everyone. This is another Leah story, cos I'm loving writing her at the moment, so I hope you all enjoy reading it too.**

**Lots of love and eternal gratitude goes to my awesome super-beta idealskeptic, who as I might have mentioned is just fabulous. As I might have mentioned, I don't actually own Twilight.**

**Reconciliation**

Leah took a deep breath. Then she took another.

Her head swam and her vision blurred. The whole bathroom disappeared in a haze of black and then reappeared.

Clutching the counter, she eased herself down onto the tiled floor, sitting before she could fall.

This couldn't be happening; it just couldn't.

And yet the proof that it was in fact happening lay right above her head on the edge of the sink.

She should be ecstatically happy. After all, she had never thought it possible. However, right now all she was feeling was numb. She vaguely recognised that she was in shock, but was still too dizzy to anything about it.

A fine tremble began deep in her limbs which she couldn't stop. In a last ditch attempt to control her body, she tried breathing deeply again, hoping her wolf would settle down. It wasn't the wolf that needed soothing though; it was the woman.

She needed help.

Digging her cell out of her shorts' pocket, she dialled her mother's number only to get the answering machine.

Of course, her mom was away this week, some kind of romantic getaway with Charlie that Leah hadn't wanted to know too much about.

Hanging up, she considered her other options. There weren't a lot of them.

All of the pack were out, including her brother. They wouldn't understand, they never really had. Plus, this wasn't the kind of thing that boys would really get.

So that left the imprints.

She and Kim weren't close and Claire was far too young. Bella was possibly an option – she and Leah did get on better now that the other girl's leeches had left – but she was still very much an unknown quantity for Leah. The only other option was Rachel. In theory, she should've been the best choice; Leah and the twins had once been best friends. Since she had returned from college, however, Rachel was different. There was an edge to her now that made it uncomfortable for Leah to be around her. In some ways, she felt the other girl looked down on her now because she hadn't left the reservation – like they were all a bunch of hicks or something by being forced to stay and protect the tribe once they phased. Rachel was still trying to persuade Paul that he didn't have to remain a part of the pack like everyone else. Leah thought that Rachel was in for a shock if she thought Paul was about to abandon his brothers.

Damnit!

Why couldn't her mother be here?!

Tears of frustration sprung to her eyes.

Why wasn't there anyone around she could trust? All she wanted was some reassurance; just someone to tell her that she wasn't going mad and that everything would be okay.

She wanted everything to be okay. After everything that had happened over the last few years, she _needed_ everything to be okay.

But there was no-one to help her now. She didn't have...

Her mind froze for a split second.

She didn't have anyone, not now anyway.

But she used to.

She used to have a best friend, someone she could confide in no matter what.

Emily.

Even as she thought it, she cursed herself for being so stupid.

That friendship was over and done with a long time ago. Imprinting had seen to that.

But now she thought of her cousin, the idea wouldn't get out of her head.

When she had problems before, Emily had always been the person she had turned to and vice versa. But she had spent three years hating the other girl and the last year gradually coming to terms with her presence in her life. In no way could they be considered close anymore.

Yet a tiny voice in the back of her head whispered that Emily would help her if only she asked. Her cousin had made it apparent more than once that all Leah had to do was make a move and Emily would meet it wholeheartedly.

Leah stared at her phone blindly.

She didn't even know if she had Emily's number anyway. When she had first found out about her cousin's relationship with her ex-fiancé she had flipped. Grieving for her lost relationship and furious at her best friend's betrayal, she had burned everything to do with both Emily and Sam in her father's grill. Photos, ticket stubs, gifts – all of it had been consumed by flames.

She couldn't remember if she'd ever got around to deleting them off her phone.

Scrolling down her contacts list, she was surprised to find her cousin on there. Moving slowly, as if in a dream, she pressed the call button.

The phone on the other end started ringing and Leah moved her finger to hang up.

She didn't know what she was doing, what she was thinking. She was an idiot. What was she thinking calling Emily of all...?

"Hello?"

Leah nearly dropped her cell. Even though she was the one that had called and she was the one who had been too stupid to hang up straight, she hadn't actually expected anyone to answer.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line asked again.

Leah had to speak. She had to speak or Emily would hang up and she would be left here panicking by herself once more.

"Emily," she blurted out.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"Leah?"

Her cousin sounded completely bewildered, and Leah couldn't blame her. She hadn't exactly been friendly to the other girl and now she was calling her.

"I..." She couldn't think what to say.

The silence seemed to almost echo down the phone, making Leah's ears ring.

She just needed to say it, get it over with.

Emily beat her to it though. "Leah, are you all right?"

The concern in her voice was plain to hear and Leah felt strangely reassured by it. At least she was now fairly sure that Emily wasn't about to laugh at her.

"I need help."

It was little more than a whisper.

There was another long pause. Leah wasn't sure that Emily had even heard her.

The silence reminded her, however, that contacting her cousin was a bad idea and she quickly hurried to end the call.

"This was a stupid idea. Sorry. I didn't mean to bother..."

"I'll be there in five minutes," Emily interrupted her.

Leah nodded and then realised that the other girl couldn't see her through the phone.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Five minutes," Emily repeated and then hung up.

Leah dropped her cell on her lap and banged her head against the counter.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she berated herself.

What was she thinking?

That was the problem, she hadn't really been thinking at all.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she buried her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut.

She just needed to remember that this was a good thing. A _good_ thing! Not a scary thing or a bewildering thing or something that had messed with her mind so much that she had just called her cousin that she hadn't said a kind word to in years.

Good, she repeated to herself in her head. Good!

She was completely terrified.

There was a thumping noise in her head and it took her a minute to work out that the thudding noise was actually coming from downstairs where someone was pounding on the door.

She had made a mistake. Maybe she could just hide up here and Emily would go away again.

The front door squeaked as it opened and she cursed under her breath at her brother – why couldn't Seth ever remember to lock the damned door?

"Leah?" a masculine voice called out.

Leah's heart plummeted to her feet. She should've known that calling up Emily to ask for help would have consequences. Sam had accompanied his fiancée.

There was muttering between the two of them that Leah couldn't hear and then Emily called up to her.

"Leah? Are you up there?"

Her nails dug into her legs. All she had to do was not answer and hopefully they would go away again.

Her hope was wasted. A knock came on the bathroom door.

"Leah? Are you in here?" Emily asked. "Can I come in?"

The bathroom door creaked open and Leah finally raised her head and opened her eyes. Emily's concerned face peered down at her. Hovering behind her cousin she could see the bulky figure of Sam. She dropped her eyes to the floor again.

Emily sighed and the door shut, leaving Leah alone in the bathroom once more.

Fierce whispering began in the hall and Leah only caught snippets of the conversation.

"...upset, then I'm not happy leaving you alone..."

"...called me. I understand that you're worried, but..."

"I'm just not sure about her..."

She stopped listening. She didn't want to hear about Sam's low opinion of her.

She knew that her behaviour hadn't been the best towards him or Emily, but it wasn't like she was going to attack her cousin after asking for help.

Eventually the voices outside stopped and Leah heard the heavy tread of Sam walking down the stairs and leaving the house. She was fairly certain that Emily hadn't left with him.

Her suspicions were proved correct when the bathroom door opened again.

"Leah?" Her cousin knelt down by her, placing a hand across Leah's nails which were still digging into her legs. "Come on, honey, don't do that."

That feeling of not being completely within her body returned to Leah again and under her cousin's gentle coaching she released the grip she had on her calves.

"That's good," Emily crooned.

Shifting over so she was now sat next to Leah, Emily held her hand.

"You sounded bad on the phone, Lee."

Leah nodded jerkily.

"Want to tell me what's going on?"

She couldn't say it, even now after having had time for it to sink in. So she just pointed to the counter.

With a curious look at her, Emily let go of her hand and stood up, leaning over to look at the offending object.

"Oh, Leah," she breathed.

It was all too much. Leah burst into tears.

"Hey, hey." Emily immediately returned to her place by her cousin's side and hugged Leah to her side.

Leah buried her face in the other girl's shoulder. It seemed that once she had started crying she wasn't able to stop.

Her cousin didn't pull away. Instead, Emily wrapped her arms around Leah and hugged her tightly, letting her cry it all out.

When her tears finally stopped, Leah pulled back, wiping her face impatiently.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Emily patted her shoulder with warm smile. "You're pregnant, Leah. That's bound to be a surprise for anyone, especially since you thought you couldn't have children."

Leah's eyes shot to Emily's. "How did you...? The pack," she concluded.

Of course, how could she think that anything was private anymore?

All of the pack had seen her panic when she had skipped a period after phasing, and then another and then another. They had witnessed her fears: firstly, that she was pregnant by the man that had abandoned her, and secondly, that she was barren, a genetic dead end – the latest in a long line of curses that the gods had bestowed upon her.

She should've known that Sam would see all that and share it with Emily. However, ignorance was bliss, so she had pretended that her sorrow was hers and hers alone.

Emily squeezed the arm she still had around her.

"So, this is a good thing?" Her voice lilted up at the end, making it a question rather than a statement. "I didn't even know you were seeing someone."

Leah shrugged. "I wasn't. I mean...I'm not. It's not..." She stumbled over her words. "Embry and I aren't like that. It was just... just a one time thing. We don't have a relationship."

He had wanted one, pleaded with her, but she had been so afraid to take a chance on him that she had run. The last two months she had avoided him – trading patrols and skipping out on pack meetings

A well of nausea swept over her, one that she was sure had nothing to do with her unexpected pregnancy.

Her pregnancy.

She was pregnant. If she stayed pregnant – which she would as long as her wolf let her – then at some point in the future she would be having a baby. An actual baby.

Her and Embry's baby.

Tears began to well up in her eyes again. She had fucked everything up.

But at the same time, she was going to have a baby. Something she'd thought she would never be able to have.

It was overwhelming.

"Embry's a good man," Emily commented softly. "I'm sure whatever you decide, he'll stand by your decision."

"I'm not getting rid of it." On that point she was crystal clear.

This baby may have been unplanned and may have given her the shock of her life, but it was still hers and she was determined to keep it.

"I never said you should," her cousin soothed. "But however you decide you want to do this, you'll have his support. Just like you'll have the pack's support...and mine, if you want it."

That last bit, spoken so hesitantly was Leah's tipping point.

She flung herself into Emily's arms again, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I don't know what to do, Em. I don't want to mess this all up."

"You won't mess it up. You won't." Emily stroked through her hair with a comforting hand. "It's all going to be okay, Lee. I promise you, it'll all be okay."

Maybe it was because it was what she needed to hear; maybe it was because she was hormonal; or maybe it was because it was Emily here holding her and because it was Emily who said it.

Leah believed her. Completely.

It was all going to be great.


End file.
